Apparatus for producing tubular fabrics



Aug. 1, 1950 s. P. PARKER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR FABRICS mv NOR 5mg )5 1% Ms M "M ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 1, 1950 UNITED STATESPATENTOFFICE a I 2,517,021 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR FABRICS I Samuel P. Parker, .La Grange, Ga., assignor to H a CallawayMillsflompany, La Grange, Ga., a

corporation of Georgia Application February 5, 1949, Serial No. 74,836

This invention relates fabrics, in which a filling yarn is interwoven inupper and lower levels alternately with warp yarns. More particularly,the invention i concerned with a novel loom for weaving tubularfabrics,which are of uniform width and devoid of thick places along theselvages. r

In the weaving of ordinary tubular fabrics, as now commonly carried on,the loom used has four harnesses operated to form successive sheds, ineach of which half of the warp yarns that are to lie in one level of thefabric are in one part of the shed and the remaining warp yarns are inthe other part. The shuttle carrying the filling yarn passes through thesuccessive sheds from opposite sides in alternation to insert picks and,at each point of entry of the filling yarn into a shed, it is loopedabout the warp yarn at outer edge of the sheet of warp yarns. Afterinsertion of a pick, the lay swings toward the fell and the reed beatsup the pick. In the beat-up, the tension on the filling yarn is suchthat that yarn crowds together the warp yarns at the side of th loom,where the filling loop was formed. As a result, the fabric is drawn in,so that its width is less than the distance between the end dents of thereed and is likely to be non-uniform, and the fabric has thick placesalong its selvages, because of the greater density of warp yarns at theedges of the fabric, resulting from their being crowded together.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a loom for weavingtubular fabrics, which are of uniform width and are free of thick placesalong the selvages.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made tothe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a loom embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View showing features illustrated in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a bar employed in theloom of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bar shown in Fig. 3.

In the loom, of which parts are shown in the drawing, the warp yarns and2 are those interwoven with a filling yarn in the lower level of thetubular fabric, while warp yarns 3 and 4 are interwoven with the fillingyarn in the upper level of the fabric. The warp yarns pass through areed 5 carrying a cap 6 and mounted on a lay I, and the fabric passesover a breast beam 8 and a sand roll 9 to a cloth roll, not shown. Thewarp yarns are formed into sheds by conventional 3 Claims. (Cl. 139-495)to the weaving of tubular harness mechanism indicated diagrammaticallyat In and lying between the reed 5 and lease rods, of which one is shownat l I, r

A bar l2, preferably of light metal, is disposed within the fabric justbeyond the fell, and the bar has a length measured transversely of thewarp, which is approximately that of the; fabric at full width. Attachedto each end of the bar is a wire I3, which extends warpwise and passesthrough the dent in reed 5;lying just ouside the dent, through whichpasses the outermost warp yarn. Each wire passes through a slot. I4 inthe 'end of the bar and the end 0f the wire is secured by a screw IE tothe edge of the bar away from the reed. Each wire passes from the barthrough an eye in a heddle IS in a harness and its end is attached toone end of a coil spring II, the other end of which is attached to afixed part of the loom, such as a cross-bar I 8 extending between theloom sides.

In the operation of the loom, in accordance with the invention, the warpyarns are formed into successive sheds by operation of the harnesses II]. In each shed, part of the warp yarns to lie in one level of thefabric are separated from the remaining warp yarns, and the shuttle ispassed through the sheds from opposite sides of the loom alternately toinsert picks IQ of the filling. The harness controlling wires l3 areraised and lowered alternately to place the wires alternately in the topand bottom of the shed, and, as a result, the filling I9 is alwayspassed around a wire 13, as it leaves the shuttle box and enters theshed of the warp. Thus, each loop A of the filling at the selvage of thegoods embraces a wire l3. The wires are maintained taut by their springsl1, and, as each pick is beaten up by movement of the lay l and reed 5to the positions indicated in dotted lines at la and 5a, the drawing-inaction of the filling because of its tension is resisted by the wire I3,about which the selvage loop of the filling passes.

In its extreme position at beat-up, the reed lies spaced slightly fromthe edge of bar l2, so that the bar lies within the fabric inwardly fromthe fell. The tube of fabric between the fell and the adjacent edgeofthe bar is held at full width by the wires l3, so that the fillingunder tension is unable to draw in the fabric. As a result, the fabricis maintained at all times at full and uniform width and there is nocrowding together of the warp yarns at the edges of the fabric and nothick places in the fabric.

I claim:

1. In a loom for weaving a tubular fabric of a filling yarn interwovenin upper and lower levels alternately with warp yarns, the loom havingharness mechanism for forming successive sheds of the Warp yarns and areed for beating up picks of filling, the combination of a bar disposedtransversely within the fabric adjacent the fell to; hold the fabric tofull width, a pair of parallel wires extending Warpwise through the reedand attached to respective ends of the bar,

springs attached to the ends of the Wires remote from the bar andconnected'to. a fixed part of the loom structure, and means for raisingthe wires into the upper part of the shed and lowering the Wires intothe lower part of the shed upon successive shedding operations of theharness mechanism.

2. In a loom for Weaving a tubular fabric of} a filling yarn interwovenin upper and lower levels alternately with warp yarns, the loom havingharness mechanism for forming successivesheds of the warp yarns and areedforbeating up picks of filling, the combination-ofa bar disposedtransversely withinthe fabric adjacent the fell to hold" the fabric tofull'width, means for holding-the barin place Warpwise, said meansincluding a pair of parallelwires extending warpwisethrough the reedandconnected to the bar at its ends andresilient means attached to theends of the wires remote from the bar, and a harness having eyes,through Which the-Wires pass, and operating to-raiseand lower the Wires,as the harness mechanism forms successive sheds.

3. In a loom for weaving a tubular fabric of a filling yarn inter-wovenin upper and lower H 4 levels alternately with warp yarns, the loomhaving harness mechanism for forming successive sheds of the warp yarnand a reed for beating up picks of filling, the combination of a bardisposed transversely within the fabric adjacent the fell to engage thefabric and hold it to full width, means for holdingflthe barinvplacewarp- Wise, saidmeans including a pair of parallel wires connected tothe bar at its ends and extending warpwise through the reed andresilient means connecting the ends of the wires remote from the bar toa fixed part of the loom, and a harness having eyes, through which thewires pass, andoperating to raise and lower the wires, as the; harness:mechanism forms successive sheds.

SAMUEL P. PARKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in, the file ofthis patent:

UNITED. STATES, PATENTS

